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Traditional Medicinal Uses, Phytochemicals, and Pharmacological Activities of Genus Rhamnus: A review

The genus Rhamnus belongs to the Rhamnaceae family, which contains approximately 137 species, traditionally used as folk medicine in East Asia, North and South America, and subtropical regions of Africa. The genus is used traditionally to treat diseases such as cancer, wound, jaundice, hepatitis, gonorrhea, laxative, hypertension, malaria, stomach ache, snake bite and diarrhea. Anthraquinones and flavonoids are the most cited compounds from the genus of which polyphenols were abundant with tremendous antioxidant, wound healing and antiinflammatory activities. Pharmacological activity evaluation of the extracts and isolated compounds revealed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimalarial, antibacterial, anti-mutagenic, anti-genotoxic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, and anti-proliferative activity. The genus afforded drug leads such as 6-methoxysorigenin (12) and prinoidin (23) with anti-tyrosinase and cytotoxicity, respectively, as well as antioxidant drug leads such as Kaempferol-3-O-β-rhamninoside (31) rhamnetin-3-O-β-isorhamninoside (37) and isotorachrysone (55). The present review endeavors to provide a comprehensive and up to date compilation of documented traditional medicinal uses, phytochemicals and pharmacological activities of the genus and provided valuable information in support of its uses as an alternative medicine for future healthcare practice.

Phytochemistry, Ethnomedicinal Uses and Pharmacological Properties of Rhamnus prinoides: A Review

Rhamnus prinoides L’Herit belongs to Rhamnaceae family widely distributed in India, Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. In Ethiopia it is commonly known as Gesho (Amharic, Tigrigna and Afan Oromo), Gishe (Guragegna) and Geshu (Agewgna). Decoction of the leaves is recommended as remedy for treatment of variety of diseases such as back pain, malaria, pneumonia, sexually transmitted disease, skin infections, wounds, blood purifiers, water borne diseases and as ethnoveterinary medicine. Various secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, steroids and anthraquinones have been reported from the genus of which polyphenols were abundant with tremedousantioxidant, wound healing and antiinflammatory activities. The plant also serve as hopping agent, making traditional alcoholic beverages like tella and tej (in Ethiopia), animal feed, medicine, nectar for bees, soil conservation, ornamental, shade and dyes in textiles. This review presents chemical profile as well as biological activities of the species which confirmed that the plant is a good source natural polyphenols and provided valuable information in support of its use as an alternative medicine for future healthcare practice.

Ocean Conditions and the Intensification of Three Major Atlantic Hurricanes in 2017

AbstractMajor Atlantic hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria of 2017 reached their peak intensity in September while traveling over the tropical North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, where both atmospheric and ocean conditions were favorable for intensification. In situ and satellite ocean observations revealed that conditions in these areas exhibited (i) sea surface temperatures above 28°C, (ii) upper-ocean heat content above 60 kJ cm−2, and (iii) the presence of low-salinity barrier layers associated with a larger-than-usual extension of the Amazon and Orinoco riverine plumes. Proof-of-concept coupled ocean–hurricane numerical model experiments demonstrated that the accurate representation of such ocean conditions led to an improvement in the simulated intensity of Hurricane Maria for the 3 days preceding landfall in Puerto Rico, when compared to an experiment without the assimilation of ocean observations. Without the assimilation of ocean observations, upper-ocean thermal conditions were generally colder than observations, resulting in reduced air–sea enthalpy fluxes—enthalpy fluxes are more realistically simulated when the upper-ocean temperature and salinity structure is better represented in the model. Our results further showed that different components of the ocean observing system provide valuable information in support of improved TC simulations, and that assimilation of underwater glider observations alone enabled the largest improvement over the 24 h time frame before landfall. Our results, therefore, indicated that ocean conditions were relevant for more realistically simulating Hurricane Maria’s intensity. However, further research based on a comprehensive set of hurricane cases is required to confirm robust improvements to forecast systems.

Investigating water use over the Choptank River Watershed using a multisatellite data fusion approach

AbstractThe health of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem has been declining for several decades due to high levels of nutrients and sediments largely tied to agricultural production systems. Therefore, monitoring of agricultural water use and hydrologic connections between crop lands and Bay tributaries has received increasing attention. Remote sensing retrievals of actual evapotranspiration (ET) can provide valuable information in support of these hydrologic modeling efforts, spatially and temporally describing consumptive water use by crops and natural vegetation and quantifying response to expansion of irrigated area occurring with Bay watershed. In this study, a multisensor satellite data fusion methodology, combined with a multiscale ET retrieval algorithm, was applied over the Choptank River watershed located within the Lower Chesapeake Bay region on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, USA to produce daily 30 m resolution ET maps. ET estimates directly retrieved on Landsat satellite overpass dates have high accuracy with relative error (RE) of 9%, as evaluated using flux tower measurements. The fused daily ET time series have reasonable errors of 18% at the daily time step ‐ an improvement from 27% errors using standard Landsat‐only interpolation techniques. Annual water consumption by different land cover types was assessed, showing reasonable distributions of water use with cover class. Seasonal patterns in modeled crop transpiration and soil evaporation for dominant crop types were analyzed, and agree well with crop phenology at field scale. Additionally, effects of irrigation occurring during a period of rainfall shortage were captured by the fusion program. These results suggest that the ET fusion system will have utility for water management at field and regional scales over the Eastern Shore. Further efforts are underway to integrate these detailed water use data sets into watershed‐scale hydrologic models to improve assessments of water quality and inform best management practices to reduce nutrient and sediment loads to the Chesapeake Bay.

Water resource monitoring systems and the role of satellite observations

Abstract. Spatial water resource monitoring systems (SWRMS) can provide valuable information in support of water management, but current operational systems are few and provide only a subset of the information required. Necessary innovations include the explicit description of water redistribution and water use from river and groundwater systems, achieving greater spatial detail (particularly in key features such as irrigated areas and wetlands), and improving accuracy as assessed against hydrometric observations, as well as assimilating those observations. The Australian water resources assessment (AWRA) system aims to achieve this by coupling landscape models with models describing surface water and groundwater dynamics and water use. A review of operational and research applications demonstrates that satellite observations can improve accuracy and spatial detail in hydrological model estimation. All operational systems use dynamic forcing, land cover classifications and a priori parameterisation of vegetation dynamics that are partially or wholly derived from remote sensing. Satellite observations are used to varying degrees in model evaluation and data assimilation. The utility of satellite observations through data assimilation can vary as a function of dominant hydrological processes. Opportunities for improvement are identified, including the development of more accurate and higher spatial and temporal resolution precipitation products, and the use of a greater range of remote sensing products in a priori model parameter estimation, model evaluation and data assimilation. Operational challenges include the continuity of research satellite missions and data services, and the need to find computationally-efficient data assimilation techniques. The successful use of observations critically depends on the availability of detailed information on observational error and understanding of the relationship between remotely-sensed and model variables, as affected by conceptual discrepancies and spatial and temporal scaling.

Hypertension Risk Prediction

Hypertension has been recognized for decades as a major predictor of adverse outcomes, including stroke, heart failure, end-stage renal disease, heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease. These disease risk estimates are the key components for the development and implementation of prevention, treatment, and control guidelines with a general theme of lower blood pressure levels associated with less adverse events.1 The public health burden from high blood pressure and the process to design interventions are further complicated by the high proportion of the population affected (≈1 in 3 adults), a linear increase with age, and disproportionally higher rates for segments of the population, such as blacks and Hispanics.2 Changes in awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension can be assessed and monitored in the population with a series of cross-sectional observational studies. Although these prevalence rates can be determined from single measurements in time, hypertension management and prevention strategies are dependent on incidence rates and the disease progression. These evidence-based guidelines are dependent on incidence and progression rates of …

Mapping land degradation in the Gilbués region, northeastern Brazil, using Landsat TM images

Several areas of land degradation are present in the northeastern part of Brazil, resulting primarily from old practices of vegetation clearing and burning for subsistence farming and grazing. However, no reliable information is currently available on the extent of these areas and whether they are expanding over time. Taking the Gilbués region as an example, this study shows the potential for obtaining this information using multitemporal dual-season Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. We used digital image processing, which involved the enhancement of soil-fraction images by segmentation/region classification and Normalized Difference Index (NDI) techniques. The results show highly degraded soils covering an almost continuous area of approximately 600 km2. The data also show that, over the past two decades, land degradation has been concentrated mainly along and in the heads of drainage systems, a pattern that indicates removal of riparian forests, thereby compounding the serious problem of sediment loading in the streams in the area. We show that satellite remotely sensed data can provide valuable information in support of environmental policies for northeast Brazil.

Plantar pressure distribution and footwear design

In a clinical context, plantar pressure distribution measurements can provide valuable information in support of the diagnosis of individual foot pathologies and the efficacy of alternative interve...

Uncertainty as the overlap of alternate conditional distributions

An important task in modern geostatistics is the assessment and quantification of resource and reserve uncertainty. This uncertainty is valuable support information for many management decisions. Uncertainty at specific locations and uncertainty in the global resource is of interest. There are many different methods to build models of uncertainty, including Kriging, Cokriging, and Inverse Distance. Each method leads to different results. A method is proposed to combine local uncertainties predicted by different models to obtain a combined measure of uncertainty that combines good features of each alternative. The new estimator is the overlap of alternate conditional distributions.

A Screening Level Mass Balance Model of Sediment Remediation Options

It is suggested that dynamic mass balance models can provide valuable support information when sediment remediation activities, such as dredging, are contemplated. A model with sufficient credibility and accuracy can be used to compare and contrast the results of various remediation actions and the effect of natural remediation processes. A food web model can also be included. The information provided by the model can be summarized in periodic (e.g. annual) “Report Cards” documenting the status of the contaminated system during and after the remediation process. Time plots of relevant properties of the system, such as contaminant masses, concentrations and levels in water, sediment and biota, can convey the essential information required for decision-making. This approach is illustrated by applying it with screening level accuracy to the remediation activities currently being undertaken in the St. Clair River, which flows from Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The effects of dredging to reduce concentrations of hexachlorobenzene in sediment, water and biota are explored.

Use of earth observation in support of environmental impact assessments: prospects and trends

Earth observation (EO) supports the description of prevailing environmental conditions as well as the state of the environment, with good spatial and temporal resolution. In this paper, the potential of satellite imagery to support the requirements of environmental impact assessments (EIA) is examined. An analytical description is given with respect to the use of EO in EIAs in selected thematic/application areas. It is deduced that EO can provide valuable information in support of EIAs, especially with respect to the definition of the state of the environment and the prevailing environmental conditions.

An investigation in solution acetylation of cellulose by microscopic techniques

The solution acetylation process of cellulose has been investigated by means of scanning electron and transmission microscopic techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the different morphologies of cellulose acetates, which were prepared at different temperatures. Simply, for the high-temperature acetylation (90°C), the reagents progressed in a linear manner, consisting of the formation of continuous micropores, from the surface into the interior of the supermolecular structure. In contrast, for the low-temperature acetylation (45°C), the reaction took place only through the segregated micropores on the surface of cellulose. As a result, the successive layers and, subsequently, fragmented platelets of the acetylated surface were solubilized in the reaction medium, and a viscous solution was eventually obtained. The experimental conformity between the SEM and TEM results provided valuable information in support of different solution acetylation mechanisms at low and high temperatures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Appl Polym Sci 64: 1953–1960, 1997

An investigation in solution acetylation of cellulose by microscopic techniques

The solution acetylation process of cellulose has been investigated by means of scanning electron and transmission microscopic techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the different morphologies of cellulose acetates, which were prepared at different temperatures. Simply, for the high-temperature acetylation (90°C),the reagents progressed in a linear manner, consisting of the formation of continuous micropores, from the surface into the interior of the supermolecular structure. In contrast, for the low-temperature acetylation (45°C), the reaction took place only through the segregated micropores on the surface of cellulose. As a result, the successive layers and, subsequently, fragmented platelets of the acetylated surface were solubilized in the reaction medium, and a viscous solution was eventually obtained. The experimental conformity between the SEM and TEM results provided valuable information in support of different solution acetylation mechanisms at low and high temperatures.